Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Audio PlayerFaithfulness is essential to God’s character. In fact, it’s impossible for Him to be unfaithful! Find out why on Truth For Life as Alistair Begg examines how Scripture defines faithfulness, how God models it, and how it’s cultivated within believers.
From the Sermon
Audio PlayerIt’s Jesus, Not Me
In the popular series of British children’s books Where’s Wally? (or, as it’s known in North America, Where’s Waldo?), readers find themselves scurrying all over the page looking for a funny-looking fellow wearing red-and-white striped clothes who nonetheless is hard to spot in his suspiciously similarly-colored surroundings. In a similar manner, when we read our Bibles, we can find ourselves doing a comparable exercise, only instead of searching for a man in a red-and-white striped sweater and glasses, we ask ourselves, “Where am I?” We wonder which character we are like, or how a verse speaks directly of us and about us.
Yet the real question we should be asking is “Where’s Jesus?”—for He is the primary focus of the Bible.
The truth is that if we really want to find ourselves in Scripture, we will discover that a large part of the story is about us. Yet that part is not very flattering. The Bible reveals us to be wretched sinners, who need a Savior. This is why we must train our eyes to look for that Savior when we read our Bibles. As has been said, in the Old Testament Jesus is expected, in the Gospels He’s revealed, in Acts He’s preached, in the Epistles He’s explained, and in the book of Revelation He’s anticipated.
When we read Lamentations 3 with Jesus as our focus, seeking Him rather than looking for ourselves, we will discover that He is clearly present. The chapter opens with the prophet Jeremiah declaring, “I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath” (Lamentations 3:1). Who is more fit to utter those words than Jesus? On the cross, Jesus bore the wrath of God so that those of us who rightly deserved God’s condemnation might be saved through the judgment that He endured in our place. That’s the story of the gospel: another has done for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. In truth, then, as you read this verse, you do not see yourself here at all, even though you should—for you do see Christ here. He “redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). Whatever trials you face as a Christian in this life and however inexplicable they feel, of one thing you can be sure: God is not punishing you in His wrath. All that was poured out upon another, on the cross.
As you read of God’s persevering faithfulness to His downtrodden people in Lamentations 3, remember that “he who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all” is also the one who will “graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32). And as you read of the man who saw affliction under the rod of God’s wrath, rejoice that this verse speaks not of you but of Him.
How is God calling me to think differently?
How is God reordering my heart’s affections — what I love?
What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?
17and ohe went out, pbearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18qThere they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19Pilate ralso wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20Many of the Jews read this inscription, for sthe place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22Pilate answered, t“What I have written I have written.”
23uWhen the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic.4 But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” vThis was to fulfill the Scripture which says,
w“They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”
So the soldiers did these things, 25xbut standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother and ythe disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, z“Woman, behold, your son!” 27Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to ahis own home.
The Death of Jesus
28After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now bfinished, said (vto fulfill the Scripture), c“I thirst.” 29A jar full of sour wine stood there, dso they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, e“It is finished,” and he bowed his head and fgave up his spirit.
Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg, published by The Good Book Company, thegoodbook.com. Used by Truth For Life with permission. Copyright © 2021, 2022, The Good Book Company.
All We Need for Today
And for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.
Jehoiachin was not sent away from the king’s palace with provision to last him for months, but it was given to him as a daily supply. In this He provides us with a picture of the happy position of all the Lord’s people. A daily portion is all that a man really wants.
We do not need tomorrow’s supplies; that day has not yet dawned, and its wants are as yet unborn. The experience that we may suffer in the month of June does not need to be quenched in February, for we do not feel it yet; if we have enough for each day as the days arrive, we shall never know want. Sufficient for the day is all that we can enjoy. We cannot eat or drink or wear more than the day’s supply of food and clothing; the more we have, the more we have to store, and we worry about it being stolen. One cane helps a traveler, but a bundle of sticks is a heavy burden. Enough is not only as good as a feast, but it is all that the greediest glutton can truly enjoy.
This is all that we should expect; a craving for more than this is ungrateful. When our Father does not give us more, we should be content with his daily allowance. Jehoiachin’s case is ours; we have a sure portion, a portion given to us by the king, a gracious portion, and a perpetual portion. Here is surely ground for thankfulness.
Beloved Christian reader, in matters of grace you need a daily supply. You have no store of strength. Day by day you must seek help from above. It is a very happy assurance that you are provided with a regular allowance. In the Word, through the ministry, by meditation, in prayer, and waiting upon God you will receive renewed strength. In Jesus everything you need is provided for you. So enjoy your continual allowance. Never go hungry while the daily bread of grace is on the table of mercy.
Devotional material is taken from Morning and Evening, written by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg. Copyright © 2003, Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org. Used by Truth For Life with written permission.
Daily Bible Reading for February 14
Jacob's Family Settles in Goshen
1So Joseph qwent in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in rthe land of Goshen.” 2And from among his brothers he took five men and spresented them to Pharaoh. 3Pharaoh said to his brothers, t“What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, u“Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” 4They said to Pharaoh, v“We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell win the land of Goshen.” 5Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers xin the best of the land. yLet them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any zable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”
7Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, aand Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” 9And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my bsojourning are 130 years. cFew and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and dthey have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their bsojourning.” 10And Jacob eblessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of fRameses, gas Pharaoh had commanded. 12And Joseph hprovided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their dependents.
Joseph and the Famine
13Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. 14iAnd Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. 15And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. jWhy should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.” 16And Joseph answered, “Give your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone.” 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year. 18And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent. The herds of livestock are my lord's. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. 19Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? kBuy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”
20So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh's. 21As for the people, he made servants of them1 from one end of Egypt to the other. 22lOnly the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.
23Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24And at the harvests you shall give a mfifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones.” 25And they said, “You have saved our lives; nmay it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.” 26So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; othe land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's.
27Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, pin the land of Goshen. qAnd they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. 28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. rSo the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years.
29And swhen the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now tI have found favor in your sight, uput your hand under my thigh and vpromise to deal kindly and truly with me. wDo not bury me in Egypt, 30but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and xbury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.” 31And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then yIsrael bowed himself upon the head of his bed.2
Dedication to Theophilus
1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that ahave been accomplished among us, 2bjust as those who cfrom the beginning were deyewitnesses and eministers of fthe word ghave delivered them to us, 3it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write han orderly account for you, imost excellent jTheophilus, 4that you may have kcertainty concerning the things lyou have been taught.
Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5mIn the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,1 nof othe division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6And they were both prighteous before God, walking qblamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7But they had no child, because rElizabeth was barren, and sboth were advanced in years.
8Now twhile he was serving as priest before God when uhis division was on duty, 9according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot vto enter wthe temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10And the whole multitude of the people xwere praying youtside at the hour of incense. 11And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of zthe altar of incense. 12And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and afear fell upon him. 13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for byour prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and cyou shall call his name John. 14And you will have joy and gladness, and many will drejoice at his birth, 15for he will be egreat before the Lord. And fhe must not drink wine or strong gdrink, and ghe will be hfilled with the Holy Spirit, ieven from his mother's womb. 16And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17and jhe will go before him kin the spirit and power of Elijah, lto turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and mthe disobedient to the wisdom of the just, nto make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
18And Zechariah said to the angel, o“How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19And the angel answered him, “I am pGabriel. qI stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20And behold, ryou will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in sthe temple. 22And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in sthe temple. And the kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23And uwhen his time of vservice was ended, he went to his home.
24After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, wto take away my reproach among people.”
Birth of Jesus Foretold
26In the sixth month the angel xGabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named yNazareth, 27zto a virgin betrothed2 to a man whose name was Joseph, aof the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, bO favored one, cthe Lord is with you!”3 29But dshe was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for eyou have found favor with God. 31And behold, fyou will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and gyou shall call his name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of hthe Most High. And the Lord God iwill give to him the throne of jhis father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob kforever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”4
35And the angel answered her, l“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of hthe Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born5 will be called mholy—nthe Son of God. 36And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her owho was called barren. 37For pnothing will be impossible with God.” 38And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant6 of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And qthe angel departed from her.
Job Continues: Still I Will Hope in God
1“Behold, my eye has seen all this,
my ear has heard and understood it.
2cWhat you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
3dBut I would speak to the Almighty,
and I desire to eargue my case with God.
4As for you, fyou whitewash with lies;
gworthless physicians are you all.
5Oh that you would hkeep silent,
and it would be your wisdom!
6Hear now my argument
and listen to the pleadings of my lips.
7Will you ispeak falsely for God
and speak ideceitfully for him?
8Will you show partiality toward him?
Will you jplead the case for God?
9Will it be well with you when he ksearches you out?
Or lcan you deceive him, as one deceives a man?
10He will surely rebuke you
if in secret you show partiality.
11Will not his mmajesty terrify you,
and the dread of him fall upon you?
12Your maxims are proverbs of nashes;
your defenses are defenses of clay.
13“Let me have silence, and I will speak,
and let come on me what may.
14Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
and oput my life in my hand?
15pThough he slay me, I will qhope in him;1
yet I will rargue my ways to his face.
16This will be my salvation,
that the godless shall not come before him.
17sKeep listening to my words,
and let my declaration be in your ears.
18Behold, I have tprepared my case;
I know that I shall be in the right.
19uWho is there who will contend with me?
For then I would be silent and die.
20Only grant me two things,
then I will not vhide myself from your face:
21wwithdraw your hand far from me,
and let not xdread of you terrify me.
22yThen call, and I will answer;
or let me speak, and you reply to me.
23How many are my iniquities and my sins?
zMake me know my transgression and my sin.
24Why ado you hide your face
and bcount me as your enemy?
25Will you frighten ca driven leaf
and pursue dry dchaff?
26For you ewrite bitter things against me
and make me inherit fthe iniquities of my youth.
27You put my feet in gthe stocks
and hwatch all my paths;
you set a limit for2 the soles of my feet.
28Man3 wastes away like ia rotten thing,
like a garment that is jmoth-eaten.
Greeting
1Paul, acalled bby the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,
2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those csanctified in Christ Jesus, dcalled to be saints together with all those who in every place ecall upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3dGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
4I fgive thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5that in every way gyou were enriched in him in all hspeech and all knowledge— 6even as ithe testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you jwait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8kwho will sustain you to the end, lguiltless min the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9nGod is faithful, by whom you were called into the ofellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Divisions in the Church
10I appeal to you, brothers,1 by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no pdivisions among you, but that you be united qin the same mind and the same judgment. 11For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is rquarreling among you, my brothers. 12What I mean is that seach one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow tApollos,” or “I follow uCephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13vIs Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you wbaptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you except xCrispus and yGaius, 15so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16(I did baptize also zthe household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and anot with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Christ the Wisdom and Power of God
18For the word of the cross is bfolly to cthose who are perishing, but to us dwho are being saved it is ethe power of God. 19For it is written,
f“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20gWhere is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? hHas not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach2 to save those who believe. 22For iJews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23but we preach Christ jcrucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ kthe power of God and lthe wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26For consider your calling, brothers: mnot many of you were wise according to worldly standards,3 not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27But nGod chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; oGod chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28God chose what is low and despised in the world, even pthings that are not, to qbring to nothing things that are, 29so rthat no human being4 might boast in the presence of God. 30And because of him5 you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us swisdom from God, trighteousness and usanctification and vredemption, 31so that, as it is written, w“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
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